This invention relates to tufting machines and to fabrics produced therefrom and is more particularly concerned with cut and loop over cut pile fabric and to an apparatus for and process of producing the same.
In the past, tufting machines using needles with cut pile loopers and cut-loop loopers have been produced in which each cut-loop looper has a clip for selectively retaining or releasing a loop, the retained loops being subsequently cut to provide a fabric having high cut tufts and low loop tufts in longitudinally aligned rows of tufts in a backing fabric. Such cut and loop tufts were formed according to a pattern dictated by a pattern controlled yarn feed mechanism. U.S. Pat. No. 4,103,629 to Card discloses such a machine. Other similar machines are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,982,239 to McCutchen, U.S. Pat. No. 3,084,645 to Card and U.S. Pat. No. 3,138,126 to Card.
Using the previously patented machines described above, it is very different to make fine gauge fabrics since the narrow gauge machines require needles with small eyes and thus are limited to using small diameter yarns which will pass through such needle eyes.